Big-game management critics to get their say

Three meetings this week in S.D. amid grumbling

May 14, 2013

Written by

The Associated Press

MEETINGS SCHEDULEd

For public comment on big-game management by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks: • Today in Brookings • Wednesday in Pierre • Thursday in Rapid City

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RAPID CITY — A group assigned to find ways of improving big-game management in South Dakota will hold meetings in three cities this week to hear what the public has to say.

Earlier this year, Gov. Dennis Daugaard called for an independent review of the state’s policies amid growing complaints from hunters about declines in the Black Hills elk and deer populations.

Some hunters contend the state’s mountain lion population is responsible, while others argue the Game, Fish and Parks Department has issued too many licenses for elk and deer.

The Wildlife Management Institute, a nonprofit group that has been assigned to devise ways to improving the state’s big game management, will be host to the meetings as part of its review.

Steve Williams of Gardners, Pa., president of the organization, told the Rapid City Journal that he expects to hear plenty of complaints at the meetings from those who think the state has not done a good job of estimating game populations that affect license offerings and other management policies.

“It’s very rare that someone says ‘I drove two hours to tell you guys you’re doing a great job,’ ” Williams said.

But Williams, who has been a senior official for wildlife agencies in three states and also directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also said South Dakota’s wildlife department has a good reputation among its peers.

“It’s a highly respected agency within the profession,” he said.

The institute is tasked with coming up with ways to improve big-game management in the state. Its report is due to the governor in October.

The $131,000 review being paid for by the Game, Fish and Parks Commission also involves evaluation of written comments by people, including current and former agency employees, submitted to the governor’s office last year. Wildlife Management Institute officials also will be poring over thousands of Game, Fish and Parks documents that cover years of big-game management.

“I think the value of public listening sessions for us is if there’s a recurrent theme or issues we’re not thinking of, we can go take a hard look at those, and talk with the department about them,” Williams said.

“The advantage from coming from out of state, obviously, is that we’re not vested in any particular side on any particular issue.”